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Rites and Rituals
The annual rites and rituals of Juan Diego Catholic High School hold a significant place in our school’s calendar. Each year, we meticulously craft the official rites and rituals of Juan Diego, honoring the traditions established since the school's inception. These events celebrate our students' journey and achievements, culminating in the honors bestowed upon our graduating classes. New rites are thoughtfully added only after careful discernment, ensuring their enduring contribution to our campus life. Our Rites and Rituals include:
The Feast of Saint Juan Diego Mass and Parent Letter Exchange
Our Patron, Saint Juan Diego, has a Feast Day on December 9. It is our tradition at Juan Diego to celebrate Mass in his honor. Additionally, we invite parents and guardians as well as students to write letters to each other that are exchanged annually at Mass. Following Mass and the Letter Exchange, all are invited to celebrate our Feast Day in community with hot chocolate and pastries.
The Mass of the Holy Spirit with Bishop Solis
All three schools of the Skaggs Catholic Center gather together at the beginning of the school year to celebrate mass with Bishop Solis as we launch into a new year on our campus.
Our Lady of Sorrows Shrine Rite
Each year, on the Solemnity of All Saints/All Souls Day, we gather to celebrate Mass and remember not only the lives of saints, but also the lives of those we have lost, especially those in our community. Any student, faculty, staff, alumni, or coach - current or past - who has passed away in the last year is remembered by name in the Prayers of the Faithful, and their families are invited to Mass and the Shrine Rite. Following Mass, families and friends of the deceased are invited to join us at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows where new plaques featuring the names of their loved ones are blessed and left in perpetuity.
The Junior Rite of Commissioning - Junior Sancta Terra
In April of each year we begin preparing our Juniors to assume their roles at the next leaders of the school through a series of retreats, liturgies and ceremonies. During the Junior Rite, each junior receives a silver medallion with the school’s crest and a red rose symbolizing the power of faith as demonstrated by St. Juan Diego with Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Junior class then stands before the school and is “commissioned” as the new leaders of the school.
The Senior Sancta Terra
This late May retreat is the final time our graduating seniors gather to reflect on their time at JDCHS, their shared experiences as well as their hopes for the future.
Culminating the day, each senior participates in a decades old JDCHS tradition: The Senior Letter. Each senior writes a letter to their future self, to be returned to them on the occasion of their 10 year reunion. Parents are invited to participate in the day to close the letters by sealing them with wax and the school seal. The letters are then presented to the Bishop at the Baccalaureate Mass as a symbol of the gratitude expressed for their journey through Catholic education.
The Lifer Walk
Because JDCHS is a part of the greater Skaggs Community of PreK-12 schools, there are some students who attend school here at the Skaggs Catholic Center beginning as early as preschool. These students are affectionately referred to as "Lifers." At the end of their senior year, the Lifers participate in the Lifer Walk where they visit old teachers and the students at Saint John the Baptist Elementary and Middle Schools in their Graduation Regalia. One of the favorite parts for the Lifers is when they get the chance to play on the playground and take a photo at their old stomping grounds.
The Baccalaureate Mass
The seniors begin their farewell with a decades-old tradition in the Diocese; The Baccalaureate Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. As every Juan Diego class before them has done, the seniors process down South Temple to enter the Cathedral. With their parents and family in attendance before the Bishop, Priests of the Diocese, and Faculty and Staff, the Mass is a celebration of their upcoming graduation. The School’s highest honors: the Saint Juan Diego Awards and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Award are given at the Baccalaureate Mass.
Commencement Exercises
The commencement exercises at JDCHS are held in the same fashion as they have been since the school opened. Led entirely by members of the senior class, they experience age-old traditions of signing the Book of Graduates, recognizing the Valedictorian and Salutatorian, and changing of the tassel before processing to the Bell Tower to toss their caps.
These traditions are more than mere ceremonies; they are integral to our identity, fostering a sense of belonging and continuity within our school community.